


we were both young when i first saw you

by Freezeurbrain



Category: We Are The Tigers - Allen
Genre: Dancing, F/F, Fluff, Marriage Proposal, Song: Love Story (Taylor Swift), just pure fluff, this is hella cheesy and self indulgent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 18:35:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29440557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Freezeurbrain/pseuds/Freezeurbrain
Summary: the first time cairo and annleigh ever danced to love story and the second time they did
Relationships: Annleigh/Cairo (We Are The Tigers)
Kudos: 9





	we were both young when i first saw you

**Author's Note:**

> happy valentine’s day ❤️

Cairo is all alone at the Valentine’s Day dance.

And it’s all because of Kyle. Stupid Kyle, who didn’t even dance with her _once_ before ditching her to go hang out with his friends. What kind of boyfriend does that? 

She’s even slightly mad at Riley, even if she does know deep down that it’s not Riley’s fault she had to go out of town for her grandma’s birthday. Still, she wishes Riley were here. At least if Riley were here, there might be a chance that she could at least have _some _fun. Without Riley, there’s nobody to joke with about the couples making out on the dance floor. Or to cringe and laugh with as they watch one of the chaperones try to fish a lost earring out of the chocolate fountain using a spoon.__

__Cairo hates this. Partly because it means she’s spent the last hour and a half standing awkwardly off to the side and occasionally raiding the snack table, but mostly because it makes her feel... vulnerable. Other than Riley, she doesn’t have many friends. She hates the feeling of being surrounded by people, yet at the same time being utterly alone._ _

__Just as Cairo is about to make her way over to the snack table and grab another plate of cookies, she notices something out of the corner of her eye. At one of the many tables that have been set up on one side of the gym, there’s a girl sitting alone._ _

__Now that she thinks about it, Cairo is pretty sure that girl was sitting there an hour and a half ago, too. Which means that, if Cairo is remembering correctly, this girl has been sitting by herself for the entirety of the dance._ _

__For reasons she can’t really explain, Cairo finds herself walking towards the table where the girl is sitting. Maybe it’s the fact that she feels bad for the girl, or that she can relate to being alone like this._ _

__“Hi.”_ _

__The girl looks up, seemingly surprised at the sound of Cairo’s voice, and offers a shy wave. “Hello.”_ _

__“I’m Cairo.” Cairo says, and she doesn’t know why those two simple words sound so awkward coming out of her mouth._ _

__The girl gives Cairo a small smile. “I’m Annleigh.”_ _

__“Why are you by yourself?” Cairo asks._ _

__Annleigh sighs. “I was supposed to come with my boyfriend, but he got the stomach bug at the last minute. I tried to get my mom to let me stay home, but she said I had to come because she’d already paid for the tickets.”_ _

__“That sucks.” Cairo makes a face of displeasure- which causes Annleigh to dissolve into giggles. “What’s so funny?”_ _

__“You scrunched your face up.” Annleigh mimics Cairo’s expression. “Like this.”_ _

__Cairo finds herself laughing at Annleigh’s imitation. Suddenly, a song begins to play over the speakers. Cairo recognizes it- it’s a Taylor Swift song._ _

__“ _We were both young when I first saw you..._ ”_ _

__Annleigh visibly perks up. “I love this song.”_ _

__Cairo looks over at her. “Are you going to dance?”_ _

__Annleigh seems to think for a moment, then shakes her head sadly._ _

__“Why not?” Cairo asks._ _

__“My boyfriend isn’t here.” Annleigh repeats. “I don’t have anyone to dance with.”_ _

__Cairo thinks about that for a moment... then she holds out her hand. “That’s not true. You have me.”_ _

__Annleigh looks up. “What?”_ _

__Cairo smiles. “You can dance with me.”_ _

__After a moment of hesitation, a smile spreads across Annleigh’s face, and she reaches out and takes Cairo’s hand in her own._ _

__***_ _

__Cairo’s dancing again, but this time, she isn’t alone._ _

__It was Annleigh’s idea for the two of them to have a dance party when they both get back from work on Valentine’s Day. Never mind that it’s midnight, and therefore not technically Valentine’s Day anymore- when Annleigh Clarke wants to have a Valentine’s Day dance party, she won’t rest until she gets one._ _

__God, Annleigh can be insanely stubborn sometimes. But Cairo wouldn’t have it any other way._ _

__They’ve loaded up a playlist with all of their favorite songs- a mixture of their current obsessions as well as some childhood favorites thrown in the mix for nostalgia purposes. As _Say So_ by Doja Cat fades out, with both Annleigh and Cairo nearly collapsing in laughter at each other’s ridiculous and wacky dance moves, Cairo almost doesn’t recognize the intro to the next song as it begins to play._ _

__“Oh my God!” Annleigh shoots up, eyes widening with glee._ _

__“What?” Cairo blinks in confusion, before the lyrics to the song begin to play and answer all her questions._ _

__“ _We were both young when I first saw you..._ ” _ _

__“It’s _Love Story_.” Annleigh smiles, reaching out and giving Cairo’s hand a squeeze. “Remember when we danced to this at the Valentine’s Day dance in seventh grade?”_ _

__“I remember.” Cairo smiles at the memories, which even now, so many years later, are as clear to her as if they’d only happened yesterday._ _

__“Even back then, you were a flirt.” Annleigh smirks._ _

__Cairo laughs, swatting her girlfriend playfully on the arm. “Shut up.”_ _

__“Hey.” Annleigh holds out her hand to Cairo, just like Cairo did to her all those years ago. “Don’t you think it’s time for me to return the favor?”_ _

__Cairo smiles and reaches out, taking Annleigh’s hand in her own. The two of them fall into a gentle rhythm, swaying back and forth to the music and occasionally spinning each other around like the couples in those cheesy rom-coms that they both secretly love, even if they won’t admit it. They get embarrassingly into it, so when the bridge kicks in and Annleigh gets down on one knee, Cairo at first thinks she’s just being a goofball when she begins mouthing along with the lyrics “ _Marry me, Juliet_ ”. _ _

__And then Annleigh actually pulls out a ring from the back pocket of her jeans, and the truth hits Cairo like a truck full of bricks or whatever the saying is._ _

___Goddamn it, Annleigh Clarke has done it again._ _ _

__“Well?” Annleigh looks up at Cairo with hopeful eyes as the chorus ends and the instrumental kicks in._ _

__“Oh my God, you sneaky little-“ Cairo can’t help but smile as she pulls Annleigh to her feet. “ _Yes_.”_ _

__Annleigh grins wildly and pulls Cairo towards herself, planting a sweet and passionate kiss on her girlfriend’s lips as the song’s final line plays over the speakers._ _

__“ _’Cause we were both young when I first saw you._ ”_ _


End file.
